Where Did the Brits Go?

One of the indirect effects of the global financial crisis on Barbados has been a reduction in visitor arrivals. While arrivals from all of Barbados’ main source markets felt the impact, the British market has been particularly hard hit: not only has the total number of visitors declined, but visitor expenditure has also fallen.

There are a number of potential explanations that have been posited:

The UK recession and the rise of the ‘staycation’ have resulted in lower demand for travel outside of the country

The increase in the air passenger duty applied to longhaul flights increased the cost of airfare, possible beyond the reach of many of Barbados’ visitors

The closure of a large all-inclusive hotel created a gap in the package holiday market